Bearman731
New Member
Hi all,
I'm a doctor living in San Diego (i.e. have very little plumbing knowledge) and I went to check my water meter for leaks and found something unusual.
During the nighttime and in the morning (before people have showered), the meter's flow indicator triangle is perfectly still. No movement of water into the house.
Then sometime in the late morning after everyone has showered and use the toilets, faucets, etc... the water flow triangle spins continuously throughout the day at a very very slow and steady rate. The last time checked was around 8pm after I had used the toilet for the last time. Triangle was still spinning slowly after that.
Then at night time again at some point it stops spinning.
I tried isolating the home by turning off the main shutoff in the garage and I get the same results. Slow spin during the day, still at night.
Then I tried a different experiment. In the morning when it is still, I flushed the toilet just once to see what happened. The meter slowly began to spin like it does during the day, then kept slowing down until it stopped right at the exact amount of water used by the toilet (0.16 cubic feet ~1.2 gallons).
So I've been thinking of a few possibilities:
Has anyone seen this phenomenon before? Have any ideas on what could be causing it? Any next steps I can take to further my diagnosis before I call in a leak detection specialist?
Thank you all!
I'm a doctor living in San Diego (i.e. have very little plumbing knowledge) and I went to check my water meter for leaks and found something unusual.
During the nighttime and in the morning (before people have showered), the meter's flow indicator triangle is perfectly still. No movement of water into the house.
Then sometime in the late morning after everyone has showered and use the toilets, faucets, etc... the water flow triangle spins continuously throughout the day at a very very slow and steady rate. The last time checked was around 8pm after I had used the toilet for the last time. Triangle was still spinning slowly after that.
Then at night time again at some point it stops spinning.
I tried isolating the home by turning off the main shutoff in the garage and I get the same results. Slow spin during the day, still at night.
Then I tried a different experiment. In the morning when it is still, I flushed the toilet just once to see what happened. The meter slowly began to spin like it does during the day, then kept slowing down until it stopped right at the exact amount of water used by the toilet (0.16 cubic feet ~1.2 gallons).
So I've been thinking of a few possibilities:
- I have a leak in the main water line somewhere between the street and the house (since the meter spins when I turn off the main shutoff valve in the garage). But this wouldn't explain why it is still in the night/mornings. If there was a leak it should be continuous, no? Also I am assuming it can't be sediment lodging or dislodging on a pinhole leak because the meter was spinning after the last water use at night. So presumably it stops on its own at some point in the night without external influence. Furthermore, my water bill has not been significantly different than before. I have not noticed any visible water issues or pooling in the front yard but I do have turf all across so maybe it's something I'm not seeing underneath. Again, wouldn't explain why the meter doesn't move at night and in the early morning.
- The water heater is filling slowly during the daytime after everyone showers and uses hot water?
- There is a faulty PRV or faulty shutoff valve that trickle feeds into the house due to the pressure differential?
- The expansion tank next to the water heater is filling?
- Faulty meter?
Has anyone seen this phenomenon before? Have any ideas on what could be causing it? Any next steps I can take to further my diagnosis before I call in a leak detection specialist?
Thank you all!
Last edited: